MAX AND IGOR CAVALERA Live Concert Review (2022)

MAX AND IGOR CAVALERA Live Concert Review (2022)

• Venue: The Forge – Joliet, Illinois
• Date: June 4, 2022
• Special guests: WARBRINGER, HEALING MAGIC, BACKLASH
• Reviewed by Michael Juvinall – Horror Patch
• All photos & videos © 2022 Michael L. Juvinall / Monu-Metal Photography – All Rights Reserved

Brazilian-born brothers Max and Igor Cavalera together co-founded the thrash metal band Sepultura in 1984 in Belo Horizonte. Max Cavalera was their lead singer and rhythm guitarist until 1996 when he departed the band. Igor Cavalera played drums for the band until 2006 when he left the band. He was the sole remaining original member. 

Sepultura helped usher in the second wave of thrash metal from the late 1980s to the mid-90s with their first handful of albums. Together, they created two of Sepultura’s best-known and to this day, most popular albums – Beneath The Remains (1989) and Arise (1991). These two albums were highly influential to thrash metal of the day and are now widely considered to be classic albums. 

Max and Igor began celebrating Beneath The Remains and Arise in 2018 when they embarked on a European tour. It took four more years to bring the tour to the U.S. with the Return Beneath Arise 2022 Tour. The U.S. shows, many of which have sold out, have created massive anticipation from the fans to see these two albums celebrated when many fans weren’t even alive when they were released. 

BACKLASH

Young Joliet, Illinois thrash metal band Backlash was formed in 2014. This four-piece group has recently released their debut album, Colossus just last year in 2021. I must admit that I had never heard of Backlash before I saw them perform on this night. In fact, I didn’t even know I was going to be seeing them at all. They weren’t on the roster for the show as of 24 hours before the show. This happens quite often and usually, it ends up being a disaster when a band is added last minute. I’ve been reviewing and shooting shows and bands from around the Chicagoland area for over a decade now and have never run across Backlash until now. I’m glad I did because this young band impressed the Hell out of me. 

They seemed like a well-polished heavy band. Their music sounded incredible. They were very heavy, exactly the kind of metal I’m a fan of. I’m a big thrash fan and their sound caught my ear. In fact, I went home after the show and listened to their CD on Spotify and you should too. Backlash is a band that I will be keeping an eye on and I feel they will be going somewhere. Check them out.

3 ½ out of 5 Pentagrams!

Setlist

1. Lost Liberty
2. Call Of The Void
3. Sleight Of Hand
4. Over The Top
5. Lenity

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HEALING MAGIC

HM is a two-piece, stoner/doom metal band from the wilds of the New River, Arizona desert. There are a couple of interesting facts about this band. First, they perform live as a two-piece band. There is only a guitar and drums, but no bass. I found this to be very curious. I thought they would sound terrible without the bass sound for their low-end, but I was mistaken. They actually sounded pretty good.

Secondly, the frontman and vocalist, Igor A. Cavalera is the son of Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy fame). I also found this to be very interesting because the musical ability didn’t fall very far from the tree. In the studio, Igor A. handles all the guitar, bass, and vocal duties while Johnny Valles handles all the drums. 

For a two-person band, they were pretty heavy. I loved their funky, doom-laden riffs with shrieking vocals. As I said, the musicianship definitely runs in the family. 

3 Pentagrams!

Setlist

1. Wolf Coven
2. A Guiding Flame (In A Dim Corridor)
3. Smoke Horns
4. Resting Beside Embers (medley)
5. Solar Valley
6. Leaving Ashes

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WARBRINGER

I’ve seen Warbringer live several times now and I just can’t say enough about this band. I feel they are one of the best and one of my favorites of the new generation of thrash metal bands out today. They seriously kill it every single time and every single show. Their aggression and brutality as a band is second to none. I’ve seen them as openers and as the headlining band themselves, which is where they belong IMO. But opening for a band such as Cavalera Bros. gives them much-needed exposure to crowds that might not have had the chance to see how good they really are. 

Led by frontman John Kevill, who also IMO is probably the best thrash vocalist in the game right now. He is the only original member left in the band. Kevill is also one of the band’s chief lyricists. His stage presence is undeniable and can work a crowd like no one I’ve ever seen. He can turn a low-key audience into a crazy, moshing crowd in no time. As good as their music is I really believe it would not be the same band without John Kevill.

Now, Warbringer’s music is absolutely nothing to scoff at. They are one of the top few heaviest thrash bands performing today. Warbringer as a band is everything I love about the thrash genre at this time. Their music is precise and each member’s musicality is as good as it gets. It may sound as if I’m gushing about this band but I think it’s truly deserved. With Adam Carroll on rhythm guitar, Chase Becker on lead guitar, Chase Bryant on bass, and Carlos Cruz on the drums, they each operate on the highest level like a well-oiled machine. 

4 ½ out of 5 Pentagrams!

Setlist

1. Firepower Kills
2. The Black Hand Reaches Out
3. Crushed Beneath the Tracks
4. Woe to the Vanquished
5. Hunter-Seeker
6. Outer Reaches
7. Remain Violent
8. Living Weapon

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MAX AND IGOR CAVALERA

After the previous acts, especially Warbringer, the crowd was fit to be tied while waiting for Cavalera to take the stage. On this night, The Forge’s security personnel were earning their money whilst dealing with all the crowd surfers during the show. 

Upon seeing Max and his brother take the stage, literally, all Hell broke loose in the audience. As they led into the title track for “Beneath The Remains” the crowd was unstoppable. It was such a treat to hear these classic songs being played one after the other from this classic album. “Inner Self”, “Stronger Than Hate”, and “Mass Hypnosis” are just some of the highlights from an album that’s nearly perfect top to bottom. Of the two classic albums performed on this night, Beneath The Remains is my favorite of the two. 

Following “Primitive Future”, the final song from Beneath The Remains, they went right into the title track “Arise” and we’re now into songs from that album. Standouts included “Dead Embryonic Cells”, “Murder”, and the Motorhead cover “Orgasmatron”. 

Seeing the two founding original members of Sepultura play most of the tracks from that band’s two greatest albums was something I’ll never forget and will probably not be able to see again. Magic happened on this incredible night to a near-capacity crowd and I was there to see it. I can die happy now.

4 ½ out of 5 Pentagrams!

Beneath the Remains

1. Beneath the Remains (Sepultura song)
2. Inner Self (Sepultura song)
3. Stronger Than Hate (Sepultura song)
4. Mass Hypnosis (Sepultura song)
5. Sarcastic Existence (Sepultura song)
6. Slaves of Pain (Sepultura song)
7. Lobotomy (Sepultura song)
8. Primitive Future (Sepultura song)

Arise

9. Arise (Sepultura song)
10.      Dead Embryonic Cells (Sepultura song)
11. Desperate Cry (Sepultura song)
12. Murder (Sepultura song)
13. Altered State (Sepultura song) (with “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath & “Territory” by Sepultura jam)
14. Infected Voice (Sepultura song)
15. Orgasmatron (Motörhead cover)

Encore:

16. Troops of Doom (Sepultura song) (with “Raining Blood” by Slayer intro)
17. Beneath the Remains / Arise reprise (Sepultura song)

IN ASSOCIATION WITH